“If You’re Positioned Properly, It’s An Opportunity”: Rahul Gandhi On AI

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Monday that the Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be a good opportunity if one is positioned properly.

The Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, while interacting with the students at the University of Texas at Dallas, spoke about the fears that AI is going to take jobs away.

He said that every new technology takes away some jobs and generates new ones.

“Everytime you get a new technology, the argument is made that it’s going to take jobs away. When computers first came [it was feared that] it’s going to take jobs away. When calculators first came [it was feared that] it’s going to take jobs away. ATMs came [it was feared that] it’s going to take jobs away. What happens is- it does take jobs away from some people and then transfers them to other people. I’m not of the view that jobs will vanish, but different types of jobs will be created and different types of systems will benefit more or less,” Mr Gandhi said.

Elaborating his view, the Congress leader said, “I think, for example, the IT industry in India is going to have a real big serious problem because of AI. But I don’t really think that Bajaj- making scooters is going to have such a big problem. It’s going to take away some jobs, it’s going to add some jobs and if you’re positioned properly, it’s an opportunity and if you positioned badly, you’re in trouble.”

“I remember Mr [Atal Bihari] Vajpayee gave a speech that Indians don’t need computers. And somebody else gave a speech that Indians don’t need English. [But] Computers created millions of jobs in India. So it depends how flexible you are and how well you’re looking at the future,” he added.

Rahul Gandhi arrived in Dallas, Texas, on Sunday for his three-day US visit. The Congress MP was welcomed at the airport by Sam Pitroda, Chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress, and members of the Indian diaspora.